Eminent Islamic scholar Hazrath Moulana Aaqil passes away,

Eminent Islamic scholar Moulana Hameeduddin Aqil Hussami, who was also a member of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board, passed away here Friday after a brief illness. He was 82.

Moulana Aqil, who was suffering from lung problem for the last few months, was shifted to his house from a hospital Thursday night after his condition turned critical. He breathed his last at around 4.15 a.m. Friday, family sources said. His 'namaz-e-janaza' (funeral prayer) will be offered after Friday prayers at the historic Mecca Masjid in Hyderabad and the burial will take place at Hussamia Chaman, his ancestral graveyard in the old city. The death of the Muslim leader sent shock waves among the community across the state, especially in the Muslim majority old city of Hyderabad. Hundreds of his followers gathered at his house in Panjesha locality to pay their last respects. One of the key leaders of Muslims in India, Moulana Aqil was the founder head of Jamia Islamia Darul Uloom, a famous seat of Islamic learning in the city. He was also heading the United Muslim Forum, an apex body of Muslim political and religious organisations, to fight for the interests of the community. It was formed in 2002 to fight against the harassment of innocent Muslim youth by the police. He was also chairman of Deeni Madaris Federation, which he formed a decade ago to fight the attempts to malign madrassas. Moulana Aqil and other Muslim leaders, played a key role in the 2004 Andhra Pradesh assembly elections when they declared support to the Congress and extracted a promise from Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy that he would provide reservations to Muslims. After becoming chief minister, Reddy fulfilled the promise. Chief Minister K. Rosaiah, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) president N. Chandrababu Naidu, Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) president and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi and eminent personalities from different walks of life condoled the death of Moulana Aqil.
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50%Concession For PRESS CORRESPONDENTS in Shatabdi and Rajdhani Trains ,

(PIB NEWS)) Presently Railways grant concession to the following categories of persons in Rajdhani and Shatabdi trains:

(i) Senior citizens – 50 per cent to women and 30 per cent to men in all classes,
(ii) Doctors (allopathic) – 10 per cent in all classes,
(iii) Amateur artists (theatrical, concert, musical and dancing troupes) for giving performance – 50 per cent in AC-2 tier, AC-3 tier and AC chair car,
(iv) Press Correspondents accredited to Government of India/State Government/District Headquarters travelling for bona fide press work and spouse (once in a Financial Year) – 50 per cent in all classes, and
(v) Recipients of President’s Police Medal for Distinguished Service and Indian Police Medal for Meritorious service who have attained the age of 60 years – 60 per cent to women and 50 per cent to men in all classes.
This information was given by the Minister of State for Railways, Shri E. Ahamed in a written reply in Rajya Sabha today. ======================================================

T.Surender assumes charge as Andhra Pradesh Press Academy head

Senior Journalist T.Surdender assumed charge as new Chairman of the Andhra Pradesh Press Academy.Andhra Pradesh Information Minister Dr J.Geeta Reddy, State Information Special Commissioner Parathasarathy (IAS) felicitated him on the occasion.Joining 'Eenadu' daily as a journalist in 1978, he worked in various capacities both in reporting and editorial sections in Samachar Bharati (1978-81), Andhra Bhoomi (since 1982).He authored and published ''Prajala Manishi Dr Y S Rajasekhara Reddy'', ''Parutunna Jalam-Phalistunna Yagam'', ''Niluvethu Telugu Santhakam-Konijeti Rosaiah'', ''Moodella Pragathi'', ''Naluguru Metchina Naalugella Paalane'', ''Ananda Nilayam'' and ''Jai Ho YS''.Now he is serving as Member, State Accreditation Committee.
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Prime Minister’s Statement to the Press

The Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, Mr. Vladimir V. Putin and the Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, at a Joint Press Conference, in New Delhi on March 12, 2010. (Photo by PIB No;CNR-30786)
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(PIB NEWS) “We are delighted to have in our midst today a great friend of India, His Excellency Prime Minister Putin of Russia. We attach the highest importance to his visit. Prime Minister Putin has been the architect of the strategic partnership between India and Russia, and we owe a deep sense of gratitude to him for bringing our two countries so close to each other.We have just concluded very comprehensive and indepth discussions on bilateral, regional and global issues. I conveyed to Prime Minister Putin that relations with Russia are a key pillar of our foreign policy, and that we regard Russia as a trusted and reliable strategic partner. Ours is a relationship that not only stands independent of any other, but whose significance has grown over time. Our partnership covers areas as diverse as defence, civil nuclear energy, space, science and technology, hydrocarbons, trade and investment. In the run-up to, and during Prime Minister Putin’s visit, we have finalised several important and long pending defence cooperation projects which will deepen our longstanding partnership in this vital sector. We have signed the Inter-Governmental Agreement on Cooperation in Atomic Energy and agreed upon a Roadmap for construction of nuclear power plants. A Memorandum of Understanding for bilateral cooperation in Russia’s satellite navigation system has also been agreed upon.We have agreed to strengthen our cooperation in hydrocarbons through greater collaboration between our oil and gas companies. Agreements have been signed in the areas of fertilisers and pharmaceuticals. We have identified information technology and telecommunications as focus areas for our future economic cooperation.The outcomes of Prime Minister Putin’s visit are therefore rich and very substantive.We had a detailed discussion on regional and global issues. There is much that India and Russia can do together to advance global peace and stability and the process of global economic revival. We have agreed to intensify our consultations on Afghanistan and the challenges posed by terrorism and extremism in our region. I am very happy to state that my discussions with Prime Minister Putin have reinforced the strong ties of friendship that bind our two countries together.”
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PM meets to Shaikh Mohammed Ruler of Dubai,

The Ruler of Dubai His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum calling on the Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, in New Delhi on March 11,2010.

====================================== =================                               India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Thursday held wide-ranging talks that focused on expanding counter-terror cooperation and taking economic ties to new heights.UAE's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum arrived here on a visit lasting a few hours. Al Maktoum, also vice-president of UAE and the ruler of Dubai, was received warmly at the airport by Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor. He met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and held wide-ranging talks that focused on scaling up economic and strategic ties to new heights,  The two leaders reviewed an entire spectrum of bilateral relations. Expanding security and counter-terror cooperation figured prominently in the discussions, with both sides agreeing to intelligence sharing and proactive steps to combat financing of terrorists, the sources said. The discussions aimed at taking bilateral ties to a new orbit, the sources said. The two sides discussed increased collaboration in banking, finance, trade and investments and infrastructure sector. Al Maktoum was accompanied by Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, deputy ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed al Maktoum, president of Dubai Civil Aviation Department and chairman of the Emirates Airlines and Mohammed Sultan al Owais, UAE Ambassador to India, Emirates official news agency WAM said. Bilateral trade is growing and is expected to exceed USD 25 billion soon.   (NEWKERALA)========================================================================

Reservation bill will be beacon for emancipation of women

The passage of the Women’s Reservation Bill in the Rajya Sabha is a momentous, heartwarming step not only for India, but is likely to be an inspirational trendsetter for women’s empowerment in the entire region.Although it is only the first step, the ripples from the smashing of a glass barrier are bound to be felt in virtually all areas of traditional male dominance. Like its democracy, therefore, India will also be a beacon in the matter of women’s emancipation.The bill faces other barriers, of course, of which the securing of the Lok Sabha’s approval is the most crucial. But the expectation among its proponents is that the momentum it has acquired by clearing the roadblocks put up by its critics should make the subsequent passages much easier.There are several misgivings, which are not unexpected because of the unprecedented nature of the proposed law. For instance, the 33 percent reservations for women mean that 181 of the 543 Lok Sabha seats, including 40 for Scheduled Castes or Dalits and Scheduled Tribes of adivasis, will be set aside for women. Since another 82 seats are already reserved for the Dalits and adivasis, it will leave only 280 seats in the unreserved category although women may contest these as well.It is understandable, therefore, why the male MPs cutting across party lines are uneasy although the party whips have forced them to keep quiet. The fewer number of constituencies available to them are not their only problem. Equally unsettling is the fact that the 181 seats for women will not be fixed, but will be rotated.This will mean that none of the MPs, either men or women, will be certain about their next constituency. As a result, they will not be able to nurse their constituencies in the hope of winning another term, as has been the practice till now. It is obvious, therefore, that a great deal of uncertainty will be introduced into the system, whose long-term implications are unknown.It is the fear of the tremors which the new system will cause which led to suggestions that, instead of reserving seats in parliament, the parties themselves should nominate women contestants for a third of the seats. But the matter was never seriously pursued because of the difficulty of enforcing such a writ, which might not be legally tenable.Other ideas like expanding parliament itself by another 200 seats or thereabouts were also aired, but did not find favour with the political class. In the end, it was the simpler move to reserve seats which was accepted although it, too, was challenged by the parties of the backward castes which wanted a separate quota for these groups inside the overall quota for women.It was their protests which led to ugly scenes in the Rajya Sabha for two days, finally forcing the chairman of the house to evict them with the help of marshals. But during their demonstrations, they demanded that quotas should be set aside not only for the backward castes but also Dalits and Muslims.That the bill will face further difficulties was evident from the fact that apart from the champions of the backward castes like Lalu Prasad of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Mulayam Singh Yadav of the Samajwadi Party, Mayawati of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) voiced her dissatisfaction with the bill.The abstention of Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress from the voting was seen as a ploy to woo Muslims although she later ascribed it to a lack of communication with the floor managers. However, these signs of disquiet, along with the RJD’s and Samajwadi Party’s decision to withdraw support from the government, suggest that the ruling Congress may not have an easy time in parliament.On the other hand, the support extended to the bill by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Left introduced a new element of cooperation among adversaries. It may not last, but the show of amity between the Congress and its opponents led to a relaxed atmosphere that enabled the BJP’s Arun Jaitley to persuade Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to agree to a debate before passing the bill, an idea to which a tense Congress was earlier opposed.A clear gainer from all this has been Sonia Gandhi because it was her insistence that the bill had to be passed, come what may, which forced the Congress to push it through despite the fear that its majority in the Lok Sabha might be dangerously reduced, exposing it to harassment by both friends and foes.It was clear, however, that Sonia Gandhi was taking a long-term view to project the empowerment of women as her party’s contribution to the social and political scene. If there aren’t too many hiccups on the way of its implementation, she can bank on it as a surefire electoral gambit.For the women of India, the sight of a huge influx of women into the august body of parliament will be an exhilarating sight, at least initially, irrespective of how they perform as MPs or what signs of improvement they provide. Since not only parliament, but the assemblies, too, will see a large body of women as members, Indian politics will experience a seminal, unexpected change.India has been a land of surprises. Along with a powerful prime minister like Indira Gandhi and the presence of many other prominent women in public life, like Sonia Gandhi herself, it has also seen female infanticide and dowry deaths.But never before has it seen so many lawmakers in its legislative chambers although the panchayats already have a large number of women members and office-bearers because of reservations. Even then, there is little doubt that the country is on the threshold of a new beginning.  (way2online)
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Newspapers still ‘king’ in India’s media world: Survey

Television is the main source of entertainment in India but newspapers still hold the second place as ‘Generation X’ continues to demand its daily dose of the printed word with a morning cuppa, says a new survey.“Indians, unlike in the Western countries, prefer to read their daily newspapers with their morning cup of tea,” as per the findings of a maiden survey by leading consultancy Deloitte released Friday, titled first ‘State of the Media Democracy Survey – India’.“No wonder then that newspapers still remain ‘king’ in the world of media.”According to the survey, focused on consumers between 14 and 69 years of age, 92 percent of the people rated television as the most preferred medium across all age groups, among the other mediums such as newspapers, movies, radio internet, live shows and books.“This may be due to the fact that television still has a wider reach than any other medium and visuals of television have greater impact on all, irrespective of their educational background or status,” the survey noted.“Second place in the preferred medium is taken by newspapers,” says Deloitte, adding: “Among the younger generation, going to movies, listening to music, listening to radio are high on their next preferred medium of entertainment.”This apart, says the survey, the mobile phone has become an important entertainment device for the youth between 20-25, with an average score of at least 64 percent. They also have a preference for personal computers, which has a 46-percent score.“There is also an observed trend that males are more technology-pro, as compared with women.”Among the other highlights of the survey are:- Television has the maximum impact on consumers, with newspapers a close second.-Cell phones, now owned by 84 percent of people, are no longer status symbols.- Mobile phone, followed by computers, are preferred media for gaming.-Newspapers are the most discussed during conversations at home, TV shows follow.- Feature to physically locate friends, shops, hotels most desired tech feature.The survey was conducted in late 2009 and covered all the four metro cities, along with Bangalore, Lucknow, Ludhiana, Patna, Surat and Indore. It covered both the affluent and the middle class by way of face-to-face interviews.  (way2oline)
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Zakia Jaffri’s charges against Modi,

Zakia Jaffri in her petition has levelled serious charges against Chief Minister Narendra Modi in the 2002 riots, and has made out a case of conspiracy and abetment to commit multiple offences of murder.The charges of conspiracy and abetment to commit multiple offences relate to sections (120 B, 114 r/w 302) of the Indian Penal Code, furnishing false information (177 IPC), false statement as evidence (199 IPC), giving false information about offences committed (203 IPC) and injuring and defiling place of worship (295 IPC), among others.The major evidence she cited in support of her charges, about commission of offences were instruction of the then director general of police, the then chief secretary and other senior officials, to give vent to the Hindu anger on the minority Muslims in the wake of the Godhra incident, the meeting held on Feb 27, 2002, evening in Gandhinagar as testified in Affidavit No. 4 of R.B. Sreekumar, dated Oct 27, 2005.The chief minister’s decision to bring bodies of those killed in the Godhra train fire to Ahmedabad and parade them in the city, as testified by Ashok Narayan in his cross-examination by the Nanavati Commission, besides numerous instructions given verbally to officials as detailed in the third affidavit by R.B. Sreekumar to the Nanavati Commission dated April 9,2004.The transfer of officers from field executive posts in the thick of riots in 2002 despite the DGP’s objection and the positioning of cabinet minister I.K. Jadeja and Ashok Bhatt in the DGP office and Ahmedabad city control room respectively. DGP Chakravarthi was critical of minister I.K. Jadeja remaining in his chamber, as testified by R.B. Sreekumar in his affidavit, it was pointed out.Some of the crucial and pertinent issues raised by Zakia Jaffri in her 100-page complaint in 2006 are:
- Why were bodies of Godhra train victims paraded on the streets of Ahmedabad?
- Why was the bandh called by the Sangh Parivar on Feb 27, 2002, not stopped?
- Why are there no records of the meetings held by Modi Feb 27, 2002, onwards?
- Why were no minutes of the meetings held by the chief minister and other senior officers for review of the situation from feb 27, 2002, onwards prepared and circulated to the concerned officials?

-Why were bodies of the Godhra train fire victims paraded through the streets of Ahmedabad city and that too when over 50 percent of the dead belonged to places outside Ahmedabad city and a few bodies were not even identified at that juncture?  (way2online)
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India set for Putin boost, to sign nuclear, Gorshkov pacts

India and Russia will Friday tighten their strategic and economic ties by signing a slew of agreements, including an umbrella civil nuclear pact and another accord fixing the cost of the refurbished aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov at $2.35 billion.Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will Friday evening holds talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, who touches down in India close to midnight Thursday for a brief visit lasting less than 24 hours.The two sides will sign an umbrella inter-governmental civil nuclear agreement, a clutch of defence deals and a visa pact after the talks, officials said.The nuclear pact was initialled during Manmohan Singh’s trip to Moscow in December last year.Building upon ongoing civil nuclear cooperation with Russia, Manmohan Singh is likely to press for an access to Russian nuclear reprocessing technology. India and the US are close to finalising a pact on reprocessing.
Setting a positive tone for Friday’s talks, India’s cabinet committee on security (CCS) cleared the $2.35 billion fresh price for the Admiral Gorshkov.

The long-delayed renegotiated pact for the carrier, renamed INS Vikramaditya, will be among the defence deals worth $4 billion that are expected to be finalised during Putin’s visit.The warship, originally purchased for $1.5 billion, is currently undergoing a refit at Russia’s Sevmash shipyard. Of this, $974 million was meant for the refit and the balance for a squadron of MiG-29K combat jets that will be deployed on the vessel.Citing additional costs for the refit, Moscow had scaled up the price to $2.9 billion. New Delhi wanted the price to be scaled back to $2.1 billion. Finally, the two sides have settled for $2.35 billion after months of intense negotiations.A slew of defence contracts like the $1.2 billion deal for 29 MiG-29K maritime fighters and the joint development of the stealth fifth-generation fighter aircraft (FGFA) are also likely to be finalised during Putin’s visit.Pacts on setting up joint pharmaceutical ventures and visa simplification are also expected to be signed during the visit, key steps that can take scale up business ties that have not matched the level of strategic partnership the two countries have enjoyed since the Soviet era, sources said.Under the visa agreement, Indian businessmen wishing to visit Russia will require a certificate from an industry body like the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) or Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) confirming their credentials.Russia’s stringent visa regime was widely considered a major obstacle by Indian businessmen wishing to travel to that country to explore business opportunities.India and Russia are aiming to more than triple their bilateral trade to $20 billion by 2015. (way2online)
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